Though nine ACC teams are slated to kick off their seasons Sept. 1, North Carolina State and Tennessee will get the season started for both the ACC and Southeastern Conference on Aug. 31 in Atlanta. N.C. State's Mike Glennon faces a secondary that helped Tennessee finish 12th in the nation last season in passing defense (178 yards per game) and has all four starting defensive backs returning.

On Sept. 8, running back Montel Harris and Temple play Maryland. What's the big deal? It'll be Harris' only game this season against an ACC opponent, after transferring from Boston College.

Can Michael Rocco hold down the starting quarterback job at Virginia and fend off Alabama transfer Phillip Sims from Oscar Smith High in Chesapeake? How long is Rocco's leash?

Along those lines, will Hampton High alum David Watford redshirt this season at U.Va.?

There's a shortage of proven pass-rushing threats at U.Va. Perhaps defensive end Bill Schautz can lend a hand if he's fully recovered from his badly broken leg.

Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas is considered by ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper to be a potential top-five pick in next year's draft if Thomas opts to forgo his senior season. Thomas will need to have a season comparable to last year (3,013 yards passing, 19 touchdowns passing, 10 interceptions, 469 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns rushing), when he did it with a more experienced corps of wide receivers.

Maybe FSU quarterback EJ Manuel or Clemson receiver Sammy Watkins can generate some Heisman Trophy buzz coming out of that Sept. 22 game. The only two Heisman winners in ACC history have been FSU quarterbacks (Charlie Ward in 1993, Chris Weinke in 2000).

Barring injury, Duke receiver Conner Vernon will likely become the most prolific pass-catcher in conference history. He needs 35 catches (has 198 career) and 843 yards (has 2,675 career) to take over career leads in both categories.

N.C. State's David Amerson will past the ACC's career interceptions mark (21 by former Wake Forest cornerback Alphonso Smith) if Amerson even comes close to duplicating last season's effort. He has 13 career interceptions, all of which came last season, led the nation and set the ACC single-season record.

Virginia Tech finished among the nation's elite last season in scoring defense (seventh; 17.6 points per game) and total defense (10th; 305 yards per game). The progress of new starting safeties Detrick Bonner and Kyshoen Jarrett, and the health of linebackers Tariq Edwards, Jeron Gouveia-Winslow and Bruce Taylor will be big factors in determining if Tech can maintain those high standards.

Can North Carolina make its postseason-less 2012 campaign meaningful by sneaking up and winning the Coastal Division? With new coach Larry Fedora's no-huddle spread offense, it's possible.